Any effects for 80's rock? (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Van Halen etc.)

[AlexanderB]

Our cover band plays a lot of rock hits from the 80's, a type of music I have not really played before. ("Living on a prayer", "Runaway", "Sweet child o' mine", "Jump", "If I could turn back time" etc.) Being a a four piece band we have to cut some corners, but we try to pretty much keep the original "feel" and sound of the songs.

In the original recordings, the bass often sounds pretty clean but still "ballsy". Do you recommend any effect units for that style of music? Or maybe all it takes is a pick and a good DI?

I have an EMG loaded MIA Fender Jazz Plus V (a real player with massive tone and good sustain), a clean SS preamp and a QSC PLX 3602 powering an Ampeg SVT-410HLF. The tone is big and deep but not muddy or overpowering and it works very well. Do I need any pedals?

edit:
My chorus pedal, Digi Tech Bass Synth Wah and EBS Qctabass are currently gathering dust...
Can't see any use for them in these songs?

[bassteban]

I'd slap some chorus on Sweet Child, and maybe some kind of OD for the drive you're after. I like my bone-stock Bad Monkey for that.

[Bozendoka]

I'd probably go with compression and maybe a little chorus depending on the song. Like you say, it's a pretty clean tone. The octabass might be fun, but you'd have to see how it sounds in the mix.

[MNAirHead]

During the time frame amps and effects weren't the greatest for bass.. PAs of the time would make them muddy.

I'd be doing it clean (as a rule)..

[cableguy]

Originally Posted by bassteban

I'd slap some chorus on Sweet Child, and maybe some kind of OD for the drive you're after. I like my bone-stock Bad Monkey for that.

+1 on the chorus of Sweet child. Def Lep also used chorus on a lot of the songs after pyromania. The 80's had lots of chorus. Listen to Rock me by Great White, songs by Warrant, even some VH. Maybe some flange and OD and you're set. And the OD is mainly for the GK grind kind of sound that a lot of 80's bassist liked.

[AlexanderB]

Thanks alot for great (and quick!) replies.

So I guess a bit of chorus is worth trying... >bringing the chorus for next rehearsal<
For OD - could the VT Bass do any good or is it too "Ampeg"-ish?

By the way - I guess Def Leppard spent about 4 weeks just to select effects and compressors for the 42 (or so) bass tracks when downmixing "Hysteria"...

[bassteban]

I have no experience w/the VT, but to me, the term *Ampeg* suggests at least a light smattering of overdrive.
I'd suggest bringing everything you have & trying it out- at least do this at home & bring the most likely candidates in to your next rehearsal.

[AlexanderB]

Thanks! The thing is I do not have the VT Bass. Yet... Perhaps I will buy it.

[RFord04]

I think a VT is never a bad investment. I think that and a Chorus, and maybe a compressor and you're all set. You definitely won't need the octabass or synth wah unless you're doing some kind of pop or funk from the 80's.

[NOLA Bass]

I use an EBS MultiComp on all the time in my metal tribute band. I also use a wah on Black Sabbath stuff (Into the Void, NIB) and distortion on Ace of Spades and For Whom the Bell Tolls (intro with wah). That is it.

I sometimes sub for a band that does more hair stuff, Journey, etc. I use the chorus on Sweet Child o Mine and Don't Stop Believing.

[crapusername]

i use a chorus (MXR black label), A little drive/ grit (Hardwire tube od), wah for sabbath (ibanez weeping demon), and another full on drive for more intense moments (currently either tech21 Oxford/ Agro/ BBM)

Occaisionally i'll pop a delay and octave (MXR CC and BOD) for solo spots, and odd sections in songs, but that's it

[Doelle]

Just get some spandex. Everything else can wait!

[BigOldHarry]

Chorus was very common. Works best with pointy basses. Get thee one of those off-shored BC Rich Mockingbird's or old Charvel/Jackson basses.

[dannybuoy]

Unless you already have a keyboard player covering it, try your EBS Octabass and Digitech Bass Synth Wah together to replicate the synth bass on 'Living On A Prayer'! The Line 6 filter modeller or M5 / M9 may do a better job though.

Sansamp BDDI or VT to dirty up your tone when required, and the obligatory chorus for any Guns and Roses.

[svtb15]

Livin' on a prayer was a P-Bass.. Sunburst with RW fingerboard. At The Power Station.. now named Avatar on either the Neve or SSL room. It was not synth bass

Originally Posted by dannybuoy

Unless you already have a keyboard player covering it, try your EBS Octabass and Digitech Bass Synth Wah together to replicate the synth bass on 'Living On A Prayer'! The Line 6 filter modeller or M5 / M9 may do a better job though.

Sansamp BDDI or VT to dirty up your tone when required, and the obligatory chorus for any Guns and Roses.

[Rockmusician]

For the most part, I do not like effects on bass but I have a Digitech BP8 that gives me a great sound for the beginning of Wanted Dead or Alive.

[cheezewiz]

If you want to do def lep bass lines, buy a synth since that's what most of them are.

[sonic assassin]

chorus. lots of it. not 90's warble, but definitely some space.

and your rig appears to be EXTREMELY clean. i'd muck it up a bit with a touch of drive or a lot of the right compression.

[ga_edwards]

I'd agree with the other sentiments of compression and chorus for 'that' 80s rock sound. I think some judicious eq is a major factor too, depending on which type of tone you're after. To me, there were 2, perhaps 3 80s amp tones. Ampeg, GK and Trace Elliot - Or dirty, slightly dirty, and crystal clean.

For me, Duff in GnR had one of the great 80s tones, P bass though a GK rig. I'm not quite sure how he had his eq, but I think there a bit of mid scooping going on, some high end sparkle and a low mid punch that smacks you in the face.

I'd also add that a lot of 80s rock tracks had synth bass, or double tracked with real and synth bass. Rick Sav from Def Leppard sometimes plays a keyboard live for a couple of songs (Love Bites comes to mind). So a synth pedal (Akai Unibass?) or small synth keyboard (MicroKorg) could be on your shopping list.

[winegamd]

I would add a flanger to the list. I think a lot of what we all think is a chorus pedal is really a flanger. They are pretty similar depending on the settings. But a little bit of dirty overdrive is a must if you dont have an SVT classic.